Burma has opened doors to 1,670 aid workers
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | 2:06 PM ET
The Associated Press
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Burma aid
Cyclone relief
- World Vision
- Agency has assessment teams on the ground and wants to raise $3 million from Canadians.The organization is already assisting more than 100,000 people in Rangoon and the Irrawaddy Delta region by providing rice, water, and critical supplies including sarongs, T-shirts, mosquito nets, tarpaulins and blankets.
- Canadian Red Cross
- Funds raised will be used to provide survivors with basic supplies and emergency shelter, and to ensure people have access to health care and clean water. More detailed assessments are being carried out to determine longer-term needs. You can donate on-line, call 1-800-418-1111 or contact your local Canadian Red Cross office for details on donating.
- Samaritan's Purse Canada
- Working with indigenous partners in Burma (also known as Myanmar) to assess and provide aid to those affected. The Calgary-based organization has been working in Burma for nearly a decade, providing safe drinking water, medical training and children's ministries. You can also donate by calling 1-800-663-6500.
- Salvation Army
- Has been on the ground in Burma since 1915, and now has more than 40 ministry units, children's homes, shared farms, pig loan programs, 60 well projects to deliver clean water, education and tuition programs as well as several health clinics. You can call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769), visit the website, or drop off financial donations at the closest Salvation Army unit in your area, specifying your gift is for the Myanmar Cyclone Relief Fund.
- Humanitarian Coalition
- CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec and Save the Children have formed the Humanitarian Coalition to ensure those who need help can get it quickly and efficiently. Members of all four agencies are working in areas hard hit by the cyclone. Donate online or call 1-800-464-9154.
- UNICEF
- UNICEF, which has been in Burma since 1950, currently has about 130 people working in the country. Staff are providing emergency supplies, clean water, food and shelter to children and their families. Donate online or call 1-877-955-3111.
- Médecins Sans Frontières
- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in Burma are delivering medical care, food and essential supplies such as plastic sheeting and diesel to fuel water pumps. Medical teams are travelling to remote areas hard hit by the cyclone. Call 1-800-982-7903 or donate online.
- Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
- MCC is seeking donations for its Myanmar relief efforts. The 88-year-old organization is working with trusted partners within the country who are responding to the tragic aftermath of cyclone Nargis.
- World Society for the Protection of Animals
- As many as 48 million working animals needed to plough the rice fields in the coming year may have been wiped out by the Burmese cyclone, the WSPA estimates. With the loss of these cattle and buffalo, thousands of hectares of land could be left unploughed, leaving millions of people at risk of economic ruin and starvation. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has asked this agency to produce recommendations for the relief and recovery of livestock, and the WSPA's Emergency Response Team for Asia will be entering the country to deliver relief aid for animals.
Burma has approved visas for 1,670 international aid workers to help victims of Cyclone Nargis, the state newspaper said Tuesday.
The visas were granted between May 5 and June 30 to foreigners from the United Nations, non-government organizations and individuals, the newspaper said.
Foreign aid staffers were initially barred from cyclone-affected areas and the ruling military junta was criticized for its sluggish response to the storm that hit May 2 and 3, killing 84,500 people and leaving nearly 54,000 missing.
During a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in late May, the government agreed to allow foreign aid workers into the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta, though it placed restrictions on their movements.
The junta also agreed to form a group made up of the government, United Nations and Southeast Asian countries to monitor and facilitate the flow of international assistance.
© The Canadian Press, 2008
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